Letter written by Henry Welch, corporal in the 123rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company K, to his uncle and aunt from Camp on the Rappahannock Shore, Virginia, August 2, 1863

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Letter written by Henry Welch, corporal in the 123rd New York Volunteer
Infantry Regiment, Company K, to his uncle and aunt from Camp on the
Rappahannock Shore, Virginia, August 2, 1863: a machine readable
transcription

I have an hour or two of leisure time and I
improve it by writing to you! I am in good
health! Horace (Horace)
is well and so is
Francis (Francis) we
are in pretty good spirits and are enjoying ourselves as well as can
be expected that is we are makeing (making) the best of our situation! we have got so that we take
things that turn up very cool, wether (whether) we are going into a skirmish with the rebs or going out to
capture some doomed pig its all the same to us! we crossed the
Rappahannock (Rappahannock
River) yesterday

PAGE IMAGE and we are now lying
nearKelly's foard (Ford) (Kelly's Ford, Virginia)
! I
do not know how long we are to stay here but I think we shall
move again in a day or so! we expected yesterday that today would
find us in another battle for we could hear the roar of musketry andartilery (artillery) all the afternoon but this morning we hear nothing of it so
I suppose we have won another small battle! I received a letter
from you yesterday, I am glad to hear that you and the rest of my old
friends are all well! I see that we are not going to get many men
on this draft it appears that somebody has got it into their head's
that we are going to fight down thisPAGE IMAGE rebellion with money instead of men. but I hardly
think the plan will work men we must have as well as money! I am
in hopes that we will not need a great many I think myself that
the rebel's are petty (pretty) well played out! Aunt
Polly (Tanner, Franklin (Mrs., Polly
C.)) (Tanner, Polly C. (Mrs. Franklin
Tanner)) you wanted
I should write about those deserters that were shot, and who they
were! there was three of them, two belonged to the 46..th reg't..P..a.. (Pennsylvania)46th Regiment, Pennsylvania and one belonged to the..13th..N..J.. (New Jersey)13the New Jersey Regiment (13th Regiment, New Jersey)
there was 4 men out of each reg't in our
Brigade obliged to go and shoot them! one man had to go from our
Co. none of us would go so the Captain said we must cast lots to
see who should go, he took all of our name'sPAGE IMAGE and put them in a had and then drew out a name. I
was afraid that my name would be drawn but it was
not, Craude
Osborne (Osborne, Craude) was the
one drawn and he had to go and shoot a fellow soldier! the three
graves were dug the distance between was 20 feet the coffins were
placed to each grave then our Brigade was marched up where we had
a full view of the graves next the deserters were brought to theirdiferent (different) coffin's then blindfolded they then sat down on their
coffins 24 men were then marched in front of them eight men was
stationed three rods in front of each deserterPAGE IMAGE then came the order to take aim the men brought
thier muskets slowly to the shoulder and took deadly aim then
came the word fire every gun was discharged and those three misguided
men were no more! we were all marched past the bodies in two
ranks they were a bloody sight to behold! I never want to see
such a sight again it seemedto (too) much like murder! I received that paper you sent me which
contained an account of Col:
Norten (Norten (Colonel)) 's death I
am very much obliged to you for sending it! tell mother that I
have just received a letter from her and I will answer it tomorrow if
wePAGE IMAGE do not move! we are having very hot weather down here
now day's! well Uncle
Franklin (Tanner, Franklin) I
suppose this letter will find you pretty well along with your
harvesting I can well remember the time when you were harvesting one
year ago it seems a short time yet I hope the two coming years
will be full as short! there has been a good many change's since we
were up there harvesting together, when I think who formed our company
at Salem (Salem)
and then think of the many absent names from our roll it seems that
nearly half of us are gone! death is rapidly thining (thinning) our ranks and we often think who's turn will it be next,
but it matters not if we are only prepared, I hope alway's to be
found ready to go whenPAGE IMAGE my master call's me! we have many temptations
here to resist and many evil's to shun, I hope that I may alway's have
a will and mind to resist and shun them all! there is a great
many young men ruined in this army that had good principles when
they come here, but here they are left wholly to themselves they
are away from the influence of a christian mother and the advice
of a kind Father no one to speak a kind or an encourageing (encouraging) word to them soon they form bad company bad habits and are
fast on the road to ruin! I have not time to write any more this time!
please write soon excuse all mistakes!
fromyour Nephew Henry
Welch (Welch,
Henry)